Until a favourable draw grouped them with Belgium, Tunisia and Japan, Russia
seemed to be facing an uphill battle just to avoid a first-round exit this
summer.

Many Russian experts doubt their team's ability to make any impact on
the world stage, pointing to problems in almost every aspect of the game:
physical, tactical and mental.

'They don't have any of the prerequisites to be among the top teams,'
says former international Yevgeny Lovchev, who played for the Soviet Union
in the 1970 World Cup in Mexico.

'Simply speaking, the current level of Russian football is weak, therefore
it doesn't produce top quality players necessary for achieving success
in competitions like the World Cup.'

'I don't think Russia are capable of achieving anything worthwhile in
the World Cup,' said another former Spartak and Soviet defender, Alexander
Bubnov.

'One just has to look at recent performances of Russia's national team
and our leading clubs in the international arena.'

Some experts say that the problems start with coaching.

Despite winning eight domestic league titles with Spartak Moscow, Oleg
Romantsev has little to show for his success at international level.

His critics point to the 1996 European championships in England, where
the Romantsev-led Russians, regarded by some as one of the favourites,
finished last in their first round group.

To be fair, the team's current make-up does not leave Romantsev much
room to improvise.

The ageing and slow defence, predictable midfield and the absence of
powerful and speedy strikers could spell trouble for the Russians right
from the start.

The defensive core, including captain Viktor Onopko, stopper Yuri Nikiforov
and right fullback Omari Tetradze, have played together since the 1994
World Cup in the United States, where the Russians were also eliminated
in the first round. Since then, the defence has not got any better or
quicker.

In midfield, a lot depends on playmaker Alexander Mostovoi, but much-touted
Spartak captain Yegor Titov has shown little progress in recent years
while 18-year-old Marat Izmailov looks a bit young and inexperienced to
carry the load.

Up front, the Russians possess only one real threat in Spartak striker
Vladimir Beschastnykh, who led his team with seven goals in World Cup
qualifiers, including a hat-trick in the final European group one game
against Switzerland.

The only bright spot is in goal, where Russia can rely on Lokomotiv keeper
Ruslan Nigmatullin, who has received a number of offers from leading European
clubs this season, including Italian giants Lazio and Juventus.

'I know that if everyone plays to the best of his ability and gives everything
he's got, we have a chance to do well,' he said. 'But don't press me to
predict on how we're going to do because I wouldn't want to say more than
that.'